News And Blogs

The August Wilson Monologue Competition Southern California Regional Finals is a one-night-only event, but it is six months in the making for the student artists onstage at the Mark Taper Forum—and is part of Center Theatre Group’s decades-long commitment to legendary playwright August Wilson’s work....

Young Artists Journey with August Wilson

The American Civil War is the backdrop of Suzan-Lori Parks’ new play, Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3), which plays the Mark Taper Forum April 5–May 15, 2016. But this tale of a slave who must decide whether to fight in the war on the side of the Confederacy also offers insight into racial dynamics and identity...

Conversations from the Classroom: Teaching Theatre Students About Access, Equity, and Inclusion

For many audience members, Lucas Hnath’s The Christians, which plays the Mark Taper Forum through January 10, 2016, doesn’t end when the curtain falls. In fact, the moment the actors take their bows marks the beginning of an even deeper engagement with this play about the mystery of faith: it’s when the post-show discussion begins. Instead of...

The Art of Teaching Theatre: Creating Vibrant Post-Performance Dialogues

They are leaders, feminists, teachers, and writers. They feel passionately about activism, caring for people, horses, and art. They want to strengthen their teamwork and leadership skills, inform and connect people with their communities, and voice their ideas. They are this year’s Center Theatre Group Student Ambassadors, and for the rest o...

Meet the 2015/16 Student Ambassadors

Theatre is one of the only disciplines where educators are expected to do it all. A teacher trained in acting is still expected to teach costume design. And a costume designer is still expected to teach the tenets of lighting. So how does a theatre teacher (or a teacher who’s had the theatre program dumped on them—and might be trained i...

Teaching Theatre: Crash Course Style

Center Theatre Group is excited to connect educators who are bringing high-quality theatre education to students across Los Angeles. At the same time, we want to help those outside the classroom to learn more directly about the challenges of and solutions to teaching theatre in our schools and communities. In our new Conversations from the Classroo...

Conversations from the Classroom: How Do Theatre Teachers 'Start at the Very Beginning'?